Bhubaneswar: The second dose of Covishield can now be administered between 28 and 84 days of the first dose to facilitate foreign travel for reasons such as education, employment and sports events.
Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Health & FW, PK Mohapatra on Wednesday issued instructions to the Collectors, Commissioners of Municipal Corporations and Chief District Medical & Public Health Officers in this regard.
This special relaxation will be available for students travelling abroad for education, those going for jobs in foreign countries and athletes, sportspersons and the accompanying staff of the Indian contingent attending the Olympics Games to be held in Tokyo.
The relaxation is applicable for international travel for these specified purposes in the period up to 31 August, 2021.
In his letter, Mr.Mohapatra said that a competent authority designated by the district administration for inoculation of a second dose before the period of 84 days.
Before vaccination to such people, the authority will verify the genuineness of the purpose of travel based on documents such as admission offers or communication made by the foreign institute, already studying in any foreign institute and has to return, interview calls for a job or offer letters from abroad and nomination to participate in the Tokyo Olympics Games, he said.
Such vaccination programme will be undertaken at only designated Government Covid Vaccination Centre (CVC).
The district administrations have been asked to inform the facility provided by the Government to the people though websites and other communication methods.
Before the vaccination, it is compulsory that the authority will have to upload certificates or documents of each beneficiary, in the COWIN vaccinator module, he stated.
The ACS advised the district officers to conduct vaccination through the passport. If the passport was not used during the first dose, the details of the photo ID cards used for the vaccination will be printed in the vaccination certificate. Where ever necessary, the vaccinator can issue a fresh certificate linking the passport number.
In the meanwhile, Mr. Mohapatra has also directed the concerned officials to allow use of Ration Cards with photo as one of the identity cards for administration of vaccines to the people in Odisha.